Need expert opinions on this artifact.

[mope540]

This piece was left to my niece when her father passed some time ago (he was not a collector, and this is the only artifact that he had). She has since given it to me. We have no info on where it came from, but we do live in central Illinois. It measures approx. 2 7/8" x 1 1/2". What exactly is this??
Thanks for any help!!

 

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[Relicgrubber]

Butcher Knife.

 

[mope540]

Butcher Knife.

Thank you!!!

 

[old digger]

Your item looks like a nice knife and possibly a multi tool. If the opposite side to the first two photo's is flat, then it was also used as a scraper.

 

[mope540]

old digger, those are opposite sides.

My best guess is that he may have found it somewhere near the Illinois River south of Beardstown. We used to go fishing there quite a lot

 

[welsbury]

Pretty good flaking on that knife. Looks still sharp.

 

[joshuaream]

Looks like a cool knife. The flaking is interesting, really detailed flakes with steep edges. Hard to pin it down to an age by the style alone.

The material could be a couple of things. Cobden or Dongola from Southern Illinois (maybe 250
miles south of Beardstown) or one of the varieties of Hornstone or Sonora from Indiana or Kentucky (even further.) That seems a bit far for that material in Central Illinois, but some groups like the Hopewell did move material over long distances. (Or it was picked up elsewhere.)

 

[old digger]

I would then say it is a very fine bi-face knife. And a nice one at that.

 

[mope540]

joshuaream, thank you much for that information. Thanks to all who have replied.

Edit to add pics taken with flash on for detail

 

[Tony in SC]

Has to be a knife of sorts. It's about the most worked rock I've seen!

 

[Out Of Time]

That's a very lovely (and possibly very old) biface lanceolate.

It's a-symmetric shape is typical of knife forms.

It's made from a fine grain lithic - possibly obsidian, but more likely a chert or flint.

Can't say much about who made it but it has some characteristics of an old piece (size and quality and flake style).

It's a great artifact, I reckon.

 

[arrow86]

That’s a beautiful knife

 

[Tdog]

Made on a bulls-eye. I love it. A knife. It may never have been hafted.

 

[mope540]

That's a very lovely (and possibly very old) biface lanceolate.

It's a-symmetric shape is typical of knife forms.

It's made from a fine grain lithic - possibly obsidian, but more likely a chert or flint.

Can't say much about who made it but it has some characteristics of an old piece (size and quality and flake style).

It's a great artifact, I reckon.

Thank you!!

Made on a bulls-eye. I love it. A knife. It may never have been hafted.

I'm not indian-artifact-jargon savvy, so i had to google "hafted"...and it finally dawned on me what the "bulls-eye" means.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I'm in Cent. IL. and also a (retired) flintknapper. No doubt that is Cobden flint from Union Co. IL. I could take you to the quarry where that likely came from. Gary

 

[Twitch]

Looks like a cool knife. The flaking is interesting, really detailed flakes with steep edges. Hard to pin it down to an age by the style alone.

The material could be a couple of things. Cobden or Dongola from Southern Illinois (maybe 250
miles south of Beardstown) or one of the varieties of Hornstone or Sonora from Indiana or Kentucky (even further.) That seems a bit far for that material in Central Illinois, but some groups like the Hopewell did move material over long distances. (Or it was picked up elsewhere.)

I need to reply quicker.... Mr Ream is spot on. Really nice artifact. I found a Dongola Hopewell point in Pike Co Il. That’s the furtherst north i’ve Personally seen it.

 

[Wildcat1750]

Beautiful piece!

 

[ToddsPoint]

Something I didn't mention. Here in Cent. IL if you find Cobden flint it is either paleo or middle woodland. For whatever reason, other time periods didn't bring it up here. Gary